Leather-splitting machine



(No Model.)

A. F. STOWE.

LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 23, 1886.

[NT/ENTUFF MTNEESEE 4 N PEYERS. Pholo-Lunngnnher. Washingion. n.c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AARON F. STOWVE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-SPLITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming, part of Letters Patent No. 353,235, datedNovember 23, 1886.

Application filed August 25, 1886. Serial No. 211,794. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AARON F. Srown, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Vorcester, in' the county of WVorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLeather-Splitting Machines, of which the following, together with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification sufficiently full, clear, andexact to enable persons skilled in the artto which this inventionappertains to make and use the same.

The object of my present invention is to pro- Vide, in aleathersplittingmachine, means for trimming off or removing from thesurface of the fluted feed-roll any adhering stock or sub stance thatwould be liable to pass around with the roll and interfere with theproper action of the machine; also, to providea clearing-blade to workin conjunction with the surface of the presser or feed roll for trimmingoff adhering stock, and supporting devices therefor that will confineand maintain saidblade in proper relation to the roll-surface at alltimes, regardless of the springing action or movement of the roll to andfrom the gage-roll and split tingknife to accommodate differentthicknesses and irregularities of stock ;,.also, to pro vide, incombination with the feed-roll of a splitting-machine, a clearing bladeor trimmer with blade-supporting devic s having facilities for theadjustment of said blade to or from the roll-surface; also, to provide,in connection with the feed-roll in a sp1itting-machine,a cutter orclearing mechanism having facilities for the adjustment of theblade-supporting brackets, or to vary the angularity of theclearingblade in relation to the plane of thesplittingknife or rolls.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for the more accurateand desirable support and guidance of the presserroll journal-boxes inthe supporting-frame.

These objects I attain by mechanism the nature and operation of which isillustrated in the drawings and explained in the following description,the subject-matter claimed being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of aleather-splitting machine illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional rear view showing one end of the rolls, clearing-blade,journal .-'boX, and blade-adjusting manner, or substantially asheretofore employedv by me.

.0 indicates the splitting-knife, and D the fluted presser or yieldingfeed-roll. The roll D is supported in movable journal-boxes E, that workup and down inguideways on the main frame, and which are maintained forpressing the roll D upward against the gageroll B by means ofknucklejoint levers G, and an adjustable spring mechanism, G,substantially such as described in my former Letters 7 5 .Patent, No.346,389, to which reference may be had for a more full understanding ofthese pressure devices. The boxes E are provided at their sides withtrunnions 6, whereby the box is retained in proper relation to theframe, while it is allowed to rock.

In my present improvement the guideway in the frame is made somewhatwider than the trunnions e, and is planed out so as to .leave a smallangle or shoulder, as at a a, ex- 8 tending up and down the guideway.The trunnions are turned off round, and are located centrally upon thesides of the box, and

an oblong slide-plate, E having a circular opening, 6, is placed uponeach of the truno nions and fitted into the shoulder or angle grooves aa, to take the bearing and wear of the moving parts. This particular andimproved construction of the trunnion-slide and its guideway is afeature of my present inven- 5 tion. The slide-plate E between thetrunnion and frame, gives greater accuracy in action, and is moredurable than where the trunnion-surface rests against theguidingsur-fa'ce of the frame.

F indicates an auxiliary cutting. or clearing blade disposed at the backof the feedroll D, and supported at its ends in connection with thejournal-box E, or by an annular bearing IOO that works upon andmaintains its position in concentric relation with the axis of the roll,so that the cutter-blade and roll will remain at the same adjustmentrelatively to each other, regardless of the upward and downward motionof the boxes. The clearing-blade F is preferably disposed with its edgef close to the surface of the roll D at about one-quarter part (more orless) of the circle back from the posit-ion of the splitting-knife, andsaid clearing-blade acts to shave offor remove any stock or substancethat adheres to the surface of the .roll D, so that pieces of leathercannot wind onto said roll or pass around and be caught beneath thestock which is being fed into the machine. The clearingblade could, ifdesired, be located below or in front of the roll D, for performing inequivalent manner the operation of clearing the face of the roll; but Iprefer the construction specified.

The present illustrated manner of connecting the blade with the roll endand journalbox is as follows, viz: An inwardly and downwardly extendingtongue, E is formed on or rigidly fixed to the box IE, and a ring-pieceor annular bearer, I, is arranged on the neck of the roll D adjacent tothejournals. Said rings are furnished with lugs or projecting parts, as43 andj, one of which lugs is'confined to the tongue E by a screw orbolt, J, that passes through an opening in the lug j and screws into thetongue, while the other projection, '5,

. serves as a hinge or pivoting-ear for the bladesupporting arm orbracket K, arranged as shown. Said brackets are provided withseating-surfaces, to which the clearing-blade is secured by bolts m, andwith side projections, 7c, in which are arranged set-screws a, that turnup against the back or lower edge of the blade, while the lower end ofsaid bracket is confined by means of adjusting-nutsl Z upon a bolt, L,the head of which is pivoted or connected with the lower part of thetongue. (See Fig. 3.) The parts being thus arranged, the lower end ofthe bracket K can be adj usted and set at a greater or less outwarddegree from the tongue E", so as to vary the angle of the blade inrelation to the vertical, or

plane of the rolls B D and splitting-knife 0,

while the blade can be moved up .or down by the set-screws n, thusgiving to its cuttingedge f a very accurate adjustment in relation tothe surface of the roll D.

The rings Iare made of slightly larger diameter than the fluted portionof the roll, and serve as gages at the ends of the roll against whichthe edge of the blade strikes, and thus avoids the liability of settingthe cutting-edge of the blade against the fluted surface of the roll,this difference of diameter being just sufficient to allow the edge ofthe blade to barely clear the roll-surface. As the ends of the blade areattached to bearers I, that are mounted upon the roll-necks andconcentric with the axis of the roll, the blade follows the movement ofthe roll in its springing action to accommodate variation in thicknessof stock, but maintains its accuracy of adjustment upon theroll-surface, so that its successful working is at all times insured.

The cutter-supportil'ig bracket K can, if desired, be pivoted upon orattached to the jour nal-boX E, the end of said box being extended ormade to take the place of the ring-bearing I, the action beingequivalent, so far as the support and maintenance of the cutting-bladeare concerned. I prefer, however, to employ the ring or bearing I, asshown, owing to its practical facility of construction and as it avoidsannoyance in putting the machine together, and also is not subject tostrain or derangement by the roll taking angular position in the framewhen uneven stock is run through the machine.

In the operation of the machine the sharp ened edgef of the auxiliaryblade shears oif or removes anystock that may adhere to the surface orflutings of the roll D, the blade cut ting off such portions as will notbecome forced from the flutings in advance of the blade, so that theroll presents an even or unobstructed surfacewhen it meets the stockwhich is passinginto the machine between the rolls B and D.

I am aware that scrapers have heretofore been used for clearing thesurface of a presser or feed roll, and I do not therefore wish to beunderstood as herein claiming a scraper for such purpose, broadly.

lVhat I claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination, with thefeeding-rolls and splittingknife, of an auxiliary blade the edge ofwhich is disposed in conjunction with the surface of the flutedpresser-roll, supported on bearings that embrace the ends of said flutedroll or the roll-journals, whereby the relative adjust ment of the bladeto the roll-surface is maintained regardless of the movement of thepresser-roll in relation to the gage-roll and IOO splitting-knife,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the rolls B and D and splitting-blade C, of aclearing-blade having its edge disposed adjacent to the fluted surfaceof the feed-roll D, and a support for said blade suspended from bearingsmounted upon or coincident with the axis of said feedroll, substantiallyfor the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the feed-rolls and splitting-blade in aleather-splitting machine, of an auxiliary cutting or clearing blade, F,an adjustable blade-supporting bracket sus-' pended from a hearing orring surrounding and concentric with the roll-axis, and adjustingdevices for regulating the position of said clearing-blade in relationto the roll-surface, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the roll D, the bearing-boX E, having a tongue orprojection, as E, the hinged bracketor arm K, the clearingblade F,secured to said bracket, and the adjusting-screw L, having set nuts Z Z,substan tially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The collars or bearing-rings I, having lugs i, the brackets K, hingedthereto, the clearing-blade F, attached to said brackets, with theclamping and adjusting screws on and n, in combination with the roll Dand journalbearings, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination, with the roll D andadjustable clearing-blade F, of collars or supporting-rings, as I, ofslightly greater diameter than the roll, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

7. The combination, substantially as de scribed, of the gage-roll B,splitting-knife O, feed-roll D, journal-boxes E, spring-actuatedknuckle-joint arnls G, clearing-blade F, adjustable supporting-bracketsK, bearing-rings opening fitting over said trunnionsand their" outeredges fitting to and embraced by angular grooves a in the guidingwvay ofthe frame, substantially as shown and described.

W'itness my hand this 20th day of August, A. D. 1886.

AARON F. STOWE.

Vitnesscs:

CHAS. H. BURLEIGH, ELLA P. BLENUS.

